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Amphibious Encyclopedia · Amphibious cars

Dutton amphibious cars

Dutton amphibious cars are small amphibious road cars designed by British kit-car maker Tim Dutton and built in West Sussex, England, from the mid-1990s until 2023 [1][5]. The models, the Mariner, Commander (also sold as the Amphijeep), Surf and Reef, use Ford or Suzuki mechanical parts, and about 280 had been built by the 2020s [1][2][5].

  • Amphibious cars
  • 1989 to present (built in England until 2023)
  • United Kingdom

History

Tim Dutton was known for kit cars before he turned to amphibians. His company built about 8,000 kit cars between the late 1960s and 1989 [1][6]. He built a first amphibious prototype in 1989, based on the Dutton Sierra [1][5]. Production of the Mariner began in 1994 at Littlehampton Marina in West Sussex, with sales from 1995 [5]. The business traded as Tim Dutton Amphibious Cars Ltd before being renamed Dutton Cars Ltd [1].

The two-wheel-drive Mariner used Mk3 Ford Fiesta parts and was built until 2000 [1][5]. The four-wheel-drive Commander used Suzuki Samurai parts, was built until 2006 and was also sold in kit form as the Amphijeep [1][5]. Its successor, the Surf, is based on the Suzuki Jimny and appeared in 2005 [5]. In 2015 Dutton added the Reef, a two-wheel-drive model built from a Mk7 Ford Fiesta with the engine moved behind the rear seats [5]. Cars were sold both as kits and factory-built, and Dutton reports exports to more than 30 countries [1][2].

In 2023 Dutton sold its amphibious manufacturing to its main dealer in Poland [1]. Silodrome identifies the buyer as the Kama Eko Group of Katowice and reports that production moved to Poland in early 2024 [5]. A Polish motoring site reports that Kama eco Group has worked with Dutton Cars since 2014 and builds a related vehicle, the Dutton Kama Sp-2, in small numbers [8].

Design and how it works

Dutton amphibians have displacement hulls, so they are slow on water. The company quotes about 5 knots, and gives the Surf's water speed as about 5 to 6 mph (8 to 10 km/h) [1][2]. The Surf's hull and deck are one-piece composite moldings bonded into a monocoque, with stainless steel plates set into the laminate at load points [2]. A water jet with an 8 in (20 cm) cast aluminum impeller pushes the car. Its steering is linked permanently to the road steering, and a lever between the front seats connects or disconnects the jet [2].

The Surf is 4.78 m (15.7 ft) long, draws 0.72 m (2.4 ft) of water, weighs 1,150 kg (2,535 lb) at curb weight and seats four [2]. In 2006 New Atlas listed the Commander from £25,490 for customers outside the UK [4]. In 2022 The Autopian reported a Reef kit base price of $17,577 and a completed Reef at $31,860, both before the cost of the donor car [6].

English Channel crossings

Dutton's own record list notes a June 1997 attempt in the original Mariner prototype that stopped about 2 miles (3 km) off the French coast because of a faulty cooling fan wire [3]. Hagerty reports that a CAR magazine journalist, Colin Goodwin, crossed from Dover to Calais in a Dutton in 1995 [7].

On 6 November 2006, two Dutton Commanders, with Tim Dutton aboard one of them, crossed from Dover to Calais to draw attention to a threatened wildfowl reserve [3][4]. Dutton gives the distance as 30.4 miles (49 km) and the time as 7 hours 9 minutes, while New Atlas reported 7 hours 5 minutes [3][4]. Dutton describes it as the first Channel crossing by two amphibious cars of the same make [3].

Sources

  1. Dutton Cars: amphibious cars home page, Dutton Cars. www.timdutton.com/amphibs/index.html
  2. 4wd SURF, Dutton Cars. www.timdutton.com/amphibs/4wd.html
  3. Amphib Records, Dutton Cars. www.timdutton.com/amphibs/amphibrecords.html
  4. Another successful amphibious vehicle English Channel Crossing, New Atlas (Mike Hanlon) (2006-11-15). newatlas.com/another-successful-amphibious-vehicle-english-channel-crossing/6469
  5. The Dutton Reef Amphibious Vehicle: Based On A Ford Fiesta!, Silodrome (Ben Branch) (2026-08-06). silodrome.com/dutton-reef-amphibious-vehicle
  6. Parts Bin Puzzle: What's Under The Fiberglass Of These Quirky Amphibious Kit Cars?, The Autopian (Mercedes Streeter) (2022-09-19). www.theautopian.com/parts-bin-puzzle-whats-under-the-fiberglass-of-these-quirky-amphibious-kit-cars
  7. 6 amphibious cars to whet your aquatic appetite, Hagerty UK (Nik Berg) (2020-09-15). www.hagerty.co.uk/articles/6-amphibious-cars-to-whet-your-aquatic-appetite
  8. Kama Sp-2 to amfibia produkowana w Polsce (Polish), Spider's Web Autoblog (Marek Stawski) (2025-08-02). autoblog.spidersweb.pl/kama-sp-2-polska-amfibia

Last reviewed November 2026. Spotted something to correct or add? Tell us and include a source.

About the Amphibious Encyclopedia

WaterCar has designed and built amphibious vehicles in Southern California for more than 25 years. We keep this encyclopedia so anyone curious about vehicles that cross between land and water has one place to start, with the sources listed for every fact.

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